Exchange Traded Funds vs Mutual Funds

By Peggy Black

Owning mutual funds can be expensive when you consider the 1.5% average charge for advisory fees that go to the broker or financial planner that helps you select the funds. Exchange traded funds (ETF) can be your answer to greater flexibility at a lower cost.

Mutual funds are only required to declare their investment holding twice a year. Investors in funds are in the blind and not sure what they own until it is disclosed.

The first ETF's was the S&P Depository Receipt known as SPDR (exchange symbol SPY). It was basically a stock that owned all 500 companies that make up the S&P 500 Index. So with one trade you could own the whole S&P 500 index.

Professional traders keep the market price of ETFs in line with the value of the underlying stocks by arbitrage of any price disparities. Unlike mutual funds where their price may get distorted in regard to the underlying value, ETFs give a fair deal.

Just like a stock, one can place loss protection in the form of stop-loss and limit order. You are able to see quotes on a real-time basis.

Also, ETF's are inexpensive to own. The fees are less than 1% a year. For instance the SPY has an annualized net expense of 0.09 percent.

Best of all, ETFs are transparent and you always know what you are getting. You'll know exactly what the market index is composed of. There is now wondering if your ETF owns something that you did not know about.

If there is a choice between mutual funds or ETFs, one should be aware of fund management past history and direction. How do they do in a bear market? How do they perform in a bull market? Do the beat the ETF for the same investment area? - 23210

About the Author:

ETF Trader is an coaching service for serious investors who want to take advantage of the investment potential of exchange-traded funds. The heart of ETF Trader is the Lowell Technical Trading System, the fruit of editor Jim Lowell's 20 years of investment research. You'll learn about maximizing your investment while avoiding down turns at EFT Investing

How to make money in the Forex Market by using a Forex Robot.

By Elliot Miner

You may have heard forex trading but are wondering just what you have to do in order to make money from it. The truth is that forex trading, though it inevitably carries some risk, can be an extremely profitable endeavour if you know what to look for in your investments.

There is now a huge market around the development of trading strategies which can help all levels of experience gain from trading the forex market.

When you go into forex trading, do so armed with all the information you can. Understand the economy and the basics of international trade, as well as making sure you do not skip any important steps.

Forex trading isn't all about strategies, however. You must also choose a forex broker who is registered to make sure all investments are legitimate. When you choose your broker you should also find that they provide you with various tools to keep you up-to-date with the market.

Check these tools out before starting, making sure you will have all the up-to-date knowledge at your fingertips. The more you know about the state of the market the more chance you will have of making money through forex trading.

When you go into forex trading, do so armed with all the information you can. Understand the economy and the basics of international trade, as well as making sure you do not skip any important steps.

Forex trading isn't all about strategies, however. You must also choose a forex broker who is registered to make sure all investments are legitimate. When you choose your broker you should also find that they provide you with various tools to keep you up-to-date with the market. - 23210

About the Author:

Share Forex Trading tips, tricks and techniques to win every single foreign exchange trade on the curreny market. Learn from the best by joining our Forex Forum.

7 Secrets to Financial Empowerment

By Trisha

As you work to fulfill your dreams in the field of real estate investing I want you to embrace your future and do everything in your power to help ensure your success despite the challenges youll face along the way. Ive identified 7 financial keys that can unlock the door to success for you and others you may come in contact with along the way.

There are a lot of things you can do every day that can help determine whether you reach the pinnacle of success or remain in the valley of missed opportunity, but very few things will figure as prominently as your finances. Financial gurus got it right when they say that if you dont control your money it controls you! Heres how to regain control of your financial future one step at a time.

Control Your Spending " By taking control of your spending you can have a much bigger say in the types of deals you have available to you. This process starts with having " and sticking to " a realistic and attainable budget. Im not suggesting you should sell your TV and hit your kids up for gas money in exchange for taking them to t-ball practice.

What I am saying, however, is that if youre clear about exactly where your money goes youll have more control over reducing unnecessary, frivolous expenses. Think before you say, Charge it! If you dont really need another John Tesh video " dont buy it! Sooner or later Blockbuster will have it for 49 cents.

Control Your Debt " In many ways this goes hand in hand with controlling your spending because for many investors (especially brand new ones with unrealistic expectations) their first inclination is to whip out a credit card for routine purchases.

Control Your Time " This is one of the most difficult areas to control because time is a commodity that is in such short supply. Its very easy to waste countless hours in front of a television set or hunched over a computer surfing from one web site to another. By taking control of how and where you spend your time you can financially empower yourself by freeing up precious minutes " and hours " for more lucrative opportunities. A great way to save time is by outsourcing routine or mundane tasks to others. Not only will you close more deals, but youll have more free time for your family and leisure activities you enjoy.

Control Your Saving " By getting into the habit of regularly setting money aside for a rainy day, you can systematically build a rainy day fund that you can tap into for unplanned expenses. By having 3-6 months of expenses in an interest earning money market account you have cash available in case of a short term need. If you have this cash you can take advantage of more property opportunities. Sometimes a seller will agree to your terms if you can meet their need for cash. If you have a few thousand dollars sitting in an account you can access it quickly and still get a lucrative deal while its still available!

Control Your Debt " In many ways this goes hand in hand with controlling your spending because for many investors (especially brand new ones with unrealistic expectations) their first inclination is to whip out a credit card for routine purchases.

Control Your Habits " I dont want to offend anyone here, but its very easy to have expensive habits that can reduce the pool of money you have when you need it. It could be $4-$5 cups of coffee, cigarettes, or other substances. Aside from the potential long term impact some habits can have on your health, they can also take money away from your investing activities. Take control of the kinds of things you spend your money on. Youll be surprised by how much extra cash you can come up with after just 30 days!

There is a direct connection between giving and receiving " just make sure you really believe in the organizations youre giving your money to!

Control Your Time " This is one of the most difficult areas to control because time is a commodity that is in such short supply. Its very easy to waste countless hours in front of a television set or hunched over a computer surfing from one web site to another. By taking control of how and where you spend your time you can financially empower yourself by freeing up precious minutes " and hours " for more lucrative opportunities. A great way to save time is by outsourcing routine or mundane tasks to others. Not only will you close more deals, but youll have more free time for your family and leisure activities you enjoy.

What I am saying, however, is that if youre clear about exactly where your money goes youll have more control over reducing unnecessary, frivolous expenses. Think before you say, Charge it! If you dont really need another John Tesh video " dont buy it! Sooner or later Blockbuster will have it for 49 cents.

These are just a few things you can do to financially empower yourself. Put these into practice today, perfect them " and make them your own! The secret to financial empowerment is really no secret at all. The secret lies in actually applying them in your life today and make tomorrow lucrative. Start now and live the life youve been dreaming about! - 23210

About the Author:

Real Estate millionaire Charissa Crawley has just released her step by step guide to succeeding in the real estate market. You can find more information right here at Real Estate Power Investor.

Common Forex Made Easy Tips

By Chan Boldene

Forex Made Easy is not always easy. Before we delve into figuring out this whole Forex business (and it is a business), I thought I'd share some simple yet important Forex Made Easy tips. I will be going back to this periodically because they're important not just because you're learning to trade 4x but because they are good sound principles to live by.

If you've been around at all, you've heard or read how the boat load of money you can make from FX Trading (or Forex Trading), so what are the rules and strategies and tips you can use to make money from 4X Trading? Below are the seven tidbits of wisdom for trading Forex that the team of Forex Made Easy concocted to help make you lots of USD, Euro, and Swiss Francs in this crazy and rewarding field.

Forex Made Easy Tip #1: Don't get greedy.

Wow. This is too simple. When you're on a hot winning streak, it's easy to think you can't lose. This is dangerous thinking. 4x Trading is easy but you can lose your shirt too. Be careful. Greed can deplete your account faster than you can say "that's not what they taught me in that Forex Made Easy blog!" Greed can be devastating.

Tip #2: Get Educated

You don't have to be a market genius to make money in Forex. The Forex Made Easy blog is here to help you with that. Anyone can learn how to trade and anyone can make money. You don't need to spend long getting educated either, but having experience trading will be invaluable to you. Make sure you have a trading rules and a trading plan.

Forex Made Easy Tip #3: The Best Proven Systems are Simple

This tip is perhaps the most difficult to conquer because we like tools and systems and programs and gadgets and indicators. The KISS method: Keep it Simple Stupid is still the best. The phrase is completely overused but it fits. Keep it simple: use a few indicators, and support and resistance. Don't get too complicated. Simple trading "systems" are far more robust (and less confusing) than complicated ones. If you aren't able to explain in a few sentences to a newcomer what the indicators are doing, then it's too much.

Forex Made Easy Tip #4:Make sure you have Risk and Money Management Rules

This Forex Made Easy piece of advice is incredibly boring. Success in the FX market is built on risk management and money. Ten percent should be the maximum amount you risk on any one trade. Five percent or less is much better.

Forex Made Easy Tip #5: Discipline- Set the Rules and Stick to THEM

No matter how good of a trader you think you are (and you're probably not all that...sorry), you will pile up losses. Even after you search this Forex Made Easy site for nuggets of insight and wisdom, you will still need disciple. So, let me repeat that, you will have losses; you will lose occasionally. But you need to have discipline to ride out the losses and come back. Know YOUR rules. Stick to them. Keep your emotions in check when trading. Leave nothing up to your emotions. Write your instructions down and follow them. I can't emphasize this point enough, because if you don't follow what you created when there was no pressure at all, then you probably will lose money.

Forex Made Easy Tip #6: Have Fun

Trading the Forex markets can be rewarding and challenging. It can also be exciting. Don't take your gains OR your losses so seriously. Don't monitor the markets all day. Get outside. Relax. Spend time with your family. Watch a sunset. Play with your kids. The markets will always be there tomorrow.

Tidbit #7: Paper Trade First Until You "Make Some Money"

Practice Practice Practice. There are software programs out there (and some that we at Forex Made Easy will recommend) to help you so that you won't lose money quickly. You can test strategies, theories, and win a million dollars - all with no money changing hands! You need to do this.

We believe that anybody with even a little bit of courage and education can make money trading Forex. The effort you put in will be well rewarded. So don't forget this rule: simplicity is best; stick with the plan you created for your own style. Simple, steady, and well-executed strategies will earn you a significant amount of money in the FX markets. - 23210

About the Author:

Chan Boldene is a technical writer and has written numerous articles on the Forex markets. Join him at Forex Tips for a few key ideas. Visit also Forex Rumors.

The Advantages of Trading Forex

By Joshua

Trading forex has always been popular, though many lean towards trading traditional stocks and shares. However, there are many advantages to trading forex over stocks, including its great potential for earning without some of the restrictions of the stock market.

This is made easier due to the fact that it is a lot easier to learn about the major currencies than it is to learn the ins and outs of the stock market.

This is just an extremely brief overview of the benefits of forex trading. As you can see, many of these points make it a great choice for beginners who do not have much experience in investing. If you are deciding where to trade, then take a look at the basics of forex and you could find that it is the perfect choice for you.

Forex trading is also extremely easy for beginners to get started out in. This is due to the fact that there are generally lower fees in forex trading than when trading stocks, and the system allows you to train on margin. This means you can buy large amounts of currency with only a small deposit " though this obviously carries risk as well as benefits.

Forex trading is also extremely easy for beginners to get started out in. This is due to the fact that there are generally lower fees in forex trading than when trading stocks, and the system allows you to train on margin. This means you can buy large amounts of currency with only a small deposit " though this obviously carries risk as well as benefits.

Forex transactions are generally very quick due to the fact that all trades are done with cash. When you get started with forex trading you will quickly begin to learn about making successful predictions. - 23210

About the Author:

Get your Forex companion right now and start winning every Forex trade you make. Click here for the Forex Magic Machine.